Lorenzo

  • [ lo-REN-tso (Italian), lo-REN-tho (Spanish), lo-REN-so (Latin American Spanish) ]
  • Italian, Spanish
Italian and Spanish form of Laurentius (see LAURENCE (1)). Lorenzo de' Medici (1449-1492), known as the Magnificent, was a ruler of Florence during the Renaissance. He was also a great patron of the arts who employed Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli and other famous artists.

LAURENCE (1)   male   English
From the Roman cognomen Laurentius, which meant "from Laurentum". Laurentum was a city in ancient Italy, its name probably deriving from Latin laurus "laurel". Saint Laurence was a 3rd-century deacon and martyr from Rome. According to tradition he was roasted alive on a gridiron because, when ordered to hand over the church's treasures, he presented the sick and poor. Due to the saint's popularity, the name came into general use in the Christian world (in various spellings).

In the Middle Ages this name was common in England, partly because of a second saint by this name, a 7th-century archbishop of Canterbury. Likewise it has been common in Ireland due to the 12th-century Saint Laurence O'Toole (whose real name was Lorcán). Since the 19th century the spelling Lawrence has been more common, especially in America. A famous bearer was the British actor Laurence Olivier (1907-1989).
EQUIVALENTS
ANCIENT ROMAN: Laurentius
CATALAN: Llorenç
CROATIAN: Lovrenco
CZECH: Vavřinec
DANISH: Lars, Laurits, Lauritz, Lorens
DUTCH: Lars, Laurens, Lourens
ENGLISH: Lauren, Laurence, Lawrence
FINNISH: Lars
FRENCH: Laurent
FRISIAN: Lourens
GERMAN: Lars, Laurenz, Lorenz
GREEK: Lavrentios
HUNGARIAN: Lőrinc
ICELANDIC: Lárus
IRISH: Labhrás
ITALIAN: Lorenzo
LITHUANIAN: Laurynas
MEDIEVAL SCANDINAVIAN: Lars
MEDIEVAL SPANISH: Lorencio
NORWEGIAN: Lars, Laurits, Lauritz, Lorens
POLISH: Wawrzyniec
PORTUGUESE: Lourenço
ROMANIAN: Laurențiu
RUSSIAN: Lavrenti, Lavrentiy, Lavrenty
SCOTTISH: Labhrainn
SLOVAK: Vavrinec
SLOVENE: Lovrenc
SPANISH: Lorenzo
SWEDISH: Lars, Lorens
DIMINUTIVES AND SHORT FORMS
CROATIAN: Lovre, Lovro
DANISH: Lasse
DUTCH: Lau, Rens
ENGLISH: Larrie, Larry, Laurie, Lawrie, Laz, Loren, Lorin, Lorrin
FINNISH: Lari, Lasse, Lassi, Lauri
FRENCH: Enzo
GERMAN: Lenz
ITALIAN: Enzo, Loris, Renzo
LIMBURGISH: Lau, Lor
MEDIEVAL ENGLISH: Larkin, Law
NORWEGIAN: Lasse
SLOVENE: Lovro
SWEDISH: Lasse
FEMININE FORMS
ANCIENT ROMAN: Laurentia
ENGLISH: Laryn, Lauren, Laurena, Laurencia, Lauryn, Loren, Lorena
FRENCH: Laurence
ITALIAN: Lorenza
SPANISH: Lorenza
OTHER FORMS
ANCIENT ROMAN: Laurentina, Laurentinus
ENGLISH: Lawson
FRENCH: Laurentin, Laurentine